The 2006 Jackass of the Year

Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough (wayne.clough@carnegie.gatech.edu) has finally succeeded. His goal upon taking charge of the school was to transform it into a real university (not just an “institute”) where tolerance is emphasized more than academic achievement. One look at the following note tells you just how much Tech has changed since Clough took over:

A V-Day wish for own very own Ruth Malhotra: This Valentine’s Day, you cannot attack gay marriage. It is about love and you are about hate.

This Valentine’s Day, you cannot condemn a woman’s choice. It is about love and you are about hate.

This Valentine’s Day, you cannot protest The Vagina Monologues. It is about love and you are about hate.

No, this Valentine’s Day, you will be raped. Sex is about love and through it you will experience hate. I cannot wait.

The note you just read was written to Ruth Malhotra because she decided to file suit against Georgia Tech. She wanted to, among other things, nullify a speech code that was being enforced selectively against conservative speech at Georgia Tech.

Now that Ruth and her co-plaintiff Orit have defeated the speech code in federal court, supporters of the speech code are angry. Because they are opposed to hate speech, they want to see Ruth raped, killed, and choked. In fact, Georgia Tech student Jenny Rainwater had this to say to Ruth:

I want you to remember this, Ruth. You are in no place to judge or hate any other human being. It is NOT your job to determine the spiritual cleanliness of anyone. Only GOD may deem the worthy and and [sic] unworthy. You are a sinner. We are all sinners. And in assuming the role of GOD, you are sinning. Ruth...all sin is equal in the eyes of the LORD. Damning homosexuals doesn't make you a better Christian; it makes you a worse one. And if, as so many fundamentalists say, you are simply trying to bring these sheep gone astray to the way and the light that is HIM, do you really think damning them is the way to go about it? JESUS LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, and *that* is the message you should be sending. Not one of intolerance.

I hope one day you can open your mind, and, more importantly, open your heart. Regards, Jenny Rainwater.